1. Title, Director, Year?
“The Corporation;” Mark Achbar, Jennifer Abbott, Joel Bakan; 2003
2. Central Argument?
- nature, evolution, and impacts of the corporation
- lack of public of control
- rules for corporations were much more stringent and meant to serve the public good
3. Sustainability Problems?
- motivation for profit ends up hindering the general public (externalities – let someone else deal with it)
- birth defects and deformations
- “industry is largely responsible for this cancer epidemic”
- habitat destruction, harm to animals, and animal experimentation
- “in our search for wealth and prosperity, we’ve created something that is going to destroy us.”
- until the environment becomes a commodity, it won’t be as important
- life support systems are in decline
- taxing future generations
- the possibility for companies to patent our biology
- the need to rebuild the trust people “should” have in corporations
4. Persuasive? Compelling?
- puzzle, sports team, eagle, monsters, whale, Frankenstein’s monster - company models – all humorous and a good way to set the tone
- the negative connotation of the word “corporation”
- using the 14th amendment to get ahead, labeling corporations as a “person”
- graphics and sound bites used are very attractive
- “donates to charity” – labels
- “the science of exploitation”
- the application of DDT is pretty surprising
- the Monsanto case, artificial hormones to increase milk production and its harm to the cows
- other Monsanto case: Agent Orange and its birth defects
- the barrage of the criminal charges by major corporations is just amazing as well as surprising
- the cliff (unlimited resources) and the attempts at flight (ambitions) analogy is very clever
- connection made that if a corporation is considered a person, then considering the corporations habits and actions, it can be labeled as a psychopath (although, the “diagnosis” may not be entirely accurate, it is still a compelling parallel)
- the positive financial affects of a disaster “in devastation, there is opportunity”
- dividing biological portions of the environment for profit (privatizing rainwater in Cochabamba)
- being able to patent living things as long as it’s not a full-birthed human being
- interest in genes, humorous (gene prospectors)
- “The Investigators” – standing up to Fox corporation, humorous emphasis on the “control” button
- Fanta Orange was the Nazi drink
- IBM systems used to compute and print data for WWII
- riots vs. cushy living scene, drastic dichotomy
- Michael Moore’s spotlight on major issues (pollution, Columbine, tobacco companies…)
5. Not Compelling?
- totally wild idea to view the corporation as a person, some convenient loophole of hiding behind a label
6. Info to Seek Out?
- skipping some of the film, I’m interested in seeing more
- the notion of working at a loss and its potential benefits
7. Audience?
- really good for the general pubic
- hope to stir some emotions, create some frustrations and find a way to solve it
8. Actions? Interventions?
- some decisions should not be made by corporations, they should be made for the public good, especially when it comes to public health and safety
- laws can be made to protect the individual
9. Enhance film environmentally? educationally?
- lots of captivating information, very interesting and moving stuff
“The Corporation;” Mark Achbar, Jennifer Abbott, Joel Bakan; 2003
2. Central Argument?
- nature, evolution, and impacts of the corporation
- lack of public of control
- rules for corporations were much more stringent and meant to serve the public good
3. Sustainability Problems?
- motivation for profit ends up hindering the general public (externalities – let someone else deal with it)
- birth defects and deformations
- “industry is largely responsible for this cancer epidemic”
- habitat destruction, harm to animals, and animal experimentation
- “in our search for wealth and prosperity, we’ve created something that is going to destroy us.”
- until the environment becomes a commodity, it won’t be as important
- life support systems are in decline
- taxing future generations
- the possibility for companies to patent our biology
- the need to rebuild the trust people “should” have in corporations
4. Persuasive? Compelling?
- puzzle, sports team, eagle, monsters, whale, Frankenstein’s monster - company models – all humorous and a good way to set the tone
- the negative connotation of the word “corporation”
- using the 14th amendment to get ahead, labeling corporations as a “person”
- graphics and sound bites used are very attractive
- “donates to charity” – labels
- “the science of exploitation”
- the application of DDT is pretty surprising
- the Monsanto case, artificial hormones to increase milk production and its harm to the cows
- other Monsanto case: Agent Orange and its birth defects
- the barrage of the criminal charges by major corporations is just amazing as well as surprising
- the cliff (unlimited resources) and the attempts at flight (ambitions) analogy is very clever
- connection made that if a corporation is considered a person, then considering the corporations habits and actions, it can be labeled as a psychopath (although, the “diagnosis” may not be entirely accurate, it is still a compelling parallel)
- the positive financial affects of a disaster “in devastation, there is opportunity”
- dividing biological portions of the environment for profit (privatizing rainwater in Cochabamba)
- being able to patent living things as long as it’s not a full-birthed human being
- interest in genes, humorous (gene prospectors)
- “The Investigators” – standing up to Fox corporation, humorous emphasis on the “control” button
- Fanta Orange was the Nazi drink
- IBM systems used to compute and print data for WWII
- riots vs. cushy living scene, drastic dichotomy
- Michael Moore’s spotlight on major issues (pollution, Columbine, tobacco companies…)
5. Not Compelling?
- totally wild idea to view the corporation as a person, some convenient loophole of hiding behind a label
6. Info to Seek Out?
- skipping some of the film, I’m interested in seeing more
- the notion of working at a loss and its potential benefits
7. Audience?
- really good for the general pubic
- hope to stir some emotions, create some frustrations and find a way to solve it
8. Actions? Interventions?
- some decisions should not be made by corporations, they should be made for the public good, especially when it comes to public health and safety
- laws can be made to protect the individual
9. Enhance film environmentally? educationally?
- lots of captivating information, very interesting and moving stuff